Wilkie rolls up gold on home turf
Earns spot at worlds in Australia
Saskatoon’s Grant Wilkie is a 22-year-old lawn bowler with a rapidly-growing list of travel destinations.
Those treks make a handy reference point, especially when he gets raised eyebrows from people who figure the sport is designed exclusively for seniors.
“I’ve gotten a lot less teasing over the years, since I started playing internationally,” Wilkie said Monday with a grin after winning his second straight Canadian under-25 men’s championship, this one at his home Nutana Lawn Bowling Club.
“At first, they’re ‘what do you mean? You lawn-bowl?’ But they’re also supportive. They know there’s lots of opportunities to travel. The teasing kind of goes away when I say I get to go to Australia after this tournament — a place most people don’t get to go, and play for their country.”
Next week, Wilkie is competing with a Saskatchewan quartet at men’s fours during the Canadian championship in Toronto. Their combined age is just 101. His Monday victory — cinched with a 21-8 win over Manitoba’s Nathan Jacobucci — capped off an undefeated tourney and netted him a berth at worlds in Australia in March.
Ontario’s Lucas Caldwell beat Regina’s Michael Pituley 21-18 in the bronze-medal match.
On the women’s side, B.C.’s Priscilla Westlake won gold with a 21-1 victory over Regina’s Sydney Boyd, while B.C.’s Jaymee Sidel earned bronze by beating Ontario’s Stirling Wood 21-11.
Wilkie doesn’t hide his enthusiasm for the sport. When clubmate Alex Scott — also a high-level competitor — made a hip-hop lawn bowling promotional video earlier this year, Wilkie provided assistance off camera, and made several appearances on camera.
He also does some volunteer coaching at the club, a locale which has been part of his routine since he first set foot on its turf during a school trip in Grade 4. The sport stuck, and he’s done it ever since, with a resume that’s expanding rapidly.
Winning Monday’s Canadian title, in front of family and friends, on a course he knows inside and out, provided an extra burst of colour to that portfolio.
“I’m a sports guy,” Wilkie said. “I’ve done pretty much everything. (Lawn bowling) was something a little different; I was like ‘you know what? I’ll try it.’ I’ve done soccer and football and baseball and hockey and wrestling and track and pretty much anything you can name. This is a change of pace for me, and a lot different than the other sports I play. And this is definitely my main sport. I didn’t become a hockey star, so this is my passion now.”